A Day at NBW's Summer Camp

It is 9:00 AM and the campers just finished eating breakfast at NBW. Now the young cyclists are tossing two colorful balls around in a circle, a game organized by the youth counselors to get the younger youth to remember everyone’s name. “Chris to Nasir”, “Nasir to Simone”. The soft balls fly around the shop as everyone masters the names and settles in for the day.

After the game is complete youth pull from the rack the NBW fleet bike they are borrowing for camp. They put their helmets on, and begin doing an ‘ABC quick check’ on their bikes. During this second of week of camp the Air, Brake, Chain (ABC) checks are routine. The youth assess these basic components before every ride. It isn’t long before the campers are lined up and ready to ride along the Schuylkill River Trail (SRT) to Paine’s Park where they will try out the ramps on their bikes.

Every morning at camp, youth wheel their bikes outside and ride to various destinations – Mill Creek Farm, Bartram’s Garden, Woodlands Cemetery, Cobbs Creek, and more. In the afternoon they are back in our education hub to share lunch, chat with new friends, and work on the bikes they will take home at the end of the camp.

Campers wrap up their projects just before 4:00 PM and, with help from staff, they clean up their work space before leaving for the day. When the campers arrive for the next day’s adventure, the education hub will be just as they left it. After all, this place belongs to them.